Durante Accepts Position at Nebraska

Durante fills the void left when Nebraska associate head coach Rhonda Faehn left to take the head coaching position at the University of Florida on May 8.

Durante spent five seasons as an assistant coach on Bob Levesque's staff at the University of Washington. She helped guided the Huskies to the 1999 NCAA West Regional title and a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Championships. Durante handled choreography duties for the Huskies, while also coaching the beam and floor. In 1999 she was honored as the West Regional assistant coach of the year.

'I'm really excited about joining the coaching staff,' Durante said. 'Nebraska has an outstanding gymnastics program. I am looking forward to being a part of the program and getting a chance to work with Dan (Kendig) and Adrian (Burde). It is a great group of girls at Nebraska, and I am looking forward to getting to know them and be a part of the team.'

Durante competed for Arizona State from 1992 to 1995, earning All-Pac-10 honors in 1992,1994 and 1995. She garnered All-America honors on the beam as a junior. Durante shared the ASU record on the beam after turning in five 10.0 scores in her career. She was named to the Pac-10's All-Academic team as a senior.

Before joining the Washington program in 1998, Durante spent two years working as a coach with the Arizona Sunrays and Royal (Fla.) Gymnastics Club.

The Tulsa, Okla., native was a two-time member of the United State Gymnastics Federation National team in 1988 and 1990. Durante qualified for the 1988 Olympic Trials and won top honors in the all-around in 1986 and 1987 at the South African Cup. She has competed internationally in Germany, France, Bulgaria and South Africa, and is also a USAG Elite Level Judge.

A 1995 graduate of Arizona State with a bachelor of science degree in exercise science/exercise wellness, Durante, and her husband, Joe, have one daughter, Samantha, and one son, Jaxson.